Knit Operation Gratitude Scarf

The company that I work for encourages the employees to volunteer. Every month or so, a group of knitters and crocheters choose an organization to make items for. Last month, we made item for Operation Gratitude.

Operation Gratitude sends care packages to Veterans, Wounded Warriors, First Responders, and U.S. Service Members that are deployed overseas. They accept many different types of donations, including hand-made scarves and hats.

I decided to make a textured diagonal scarf. This pattern is very simple, yet looks nice. Operation Gratitude accepts any pattern, as long as it is 5"-6" wide and about 48" long. They also prefer subtle colors.

If you would like to learn more about Operation Gratitude or how you can help, be sure to check out the website operationgratitude.com. If you are interested in making a knit or crocheted item, be sure to check out their specific requirements.

If you want to see more of my other knitting and crocheting projects, check out my Ravelry project page.

Free Kid's Mohawk Ear Flap Hat Pattern

My eight year old niece is fun-loving and loves to be the center of attention. I wanted to make her a new hat for Christmas this year, so I decided to knit her a mohawk hat.

I made a basic ear flap hat and then added a felted mohawk.


I used Red Heart's With Love yarn in Jadeite held double for the main part of the hat and Lion Brand's Vanna's Choice in White for the hat trim. I found a skein of Joann Sensations Marvel in my stash. I have no idea why or when I bought it, but I wanted something that was brightly colored and was feltable for the mohawk and this yarn was perfect.

Notes:

This hat is knit in the round starting at the top. I used wool yarn for the mohawk so I could felt it. If you do not want to felt the mohawk, you can use a synthetic fiber yarn. You can use either worsted or bulky weight yarn to make the hat. If you use worsted weight yarn hold the yarn doubled. There is a front and back to this hat. The front is the side with the 20 cast off stitches.

Materials:

Set of 4 dpn – Size 10 ½

Size J Crochet Hook

75g Worsted or Bulky Weight Acrylic Yarn - Hat (A) 

15g Worsted or Bulky Weight Acrylic Yarn - Hat Edging (B)

45g Worsted or Bulky Weight Wool Yarn - Mohawk 

Size:

This will fit a large child or a small adult head

Hat:

Using color A, Cast on 4 sts.

1^st rnd: (Inc 1 st in next st) 4 times. 8 sts. Divide sts evenly onto 3 needles (3, 3, 2) sts. Join in rnd. Place a marker on first st.

2^nd and alternate rnds to 14^th rnd: Knit around.

3^rd rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. Rep from * around. 16 sts.

5^th rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. K1. Rep from * around. 24 sts.

7^th rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. K2. Rep from * around. 32 sts.

9^th rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. K3. Rep from * around. 40 sts.

11^th rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. K4. Rep from * around. 48 sts.

13^th rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. K3. Rep from * around. 56 sts.

15^th rnd: *Inc 1 st in next st. K3. Rep from * around. 64 sts.

16^th rnd – 31^st rnd: Knit around.

32^nd rnd: Divide for the ear flaps. Cast off 6 sts. 16 sts. Cast off 20 sts. K16. Cast off remaining 6 sts.

First Ear flap: With RS facing rejoin to the 16 sts. Working back and forth across 2 needles in rows, work 4 rows in stockinette st.

Next row: (RS) K1. K2tog. Knit to last 3 sts. SSK. K1.

Next row: Purl

Repeat last 2 rows 5 times more. 4 sts remain.

Next row: K1. K2tog. K1.

Next row: P3.

Next row: K3tog. Fasten off.

Second Ear flap: Work the same way as for first ear flap.

Mohawk:

Fold the hat in half so the ear flaps line up on top of each other. Run a strand of contrasting yarn through the middle to mark the center line. This is not necessary, but will help you keep the Mohawk straight.

Cut about 120 strands of the mohawk yarn. If you are planning on felting the Mohawk, cut the strands at about 8”. If you are not planning on felting it, then cut the strands at 4”.

Starting in the front about 1 ½” up and using the contrasting yarn as a guide, put a crochet hook under the knit st. Take 4 strands of the Mohawk yarn and fold the strands in half. Grab the middle of the strands with the crochet hook and pull up a loop. Put the ends of the strands through the loop. This will give you eight 4” strands in this place. Do this about every other stitch to the back of the hat. If you want a thicker or thinner, adjust the number of strands that you use. 

You can then felt the mohawk if you choose. Once your mohawk has been felted to your liking, trim it to your desired length. I trimmed mine to about 2 1/2 inches.

Crochet Edging: 

With RS facing and the crochet hook, join B with sl st at the center of the back. Ch 1. Work 1 rnd of sc evenly around the edge of the hat and the ear flaps. Work 3 sc in each point of the ear flaps. Join with a sl st to the first sc.

Ear Flap Ties (make 2): 

Cut 3 strands each of A and B 30” long. Using the crochet hook, pull 3 strands of A and 3 strands of B through a stitch near the point of the ear flap. Adjust the strands so they are exactly folded in half. There will now be 12 strands. Separate the strands by color. Take the 6 strands of A and twist it to the right. Place a small knot or a clip at the bottom. Take the 6 strands of B and twist it to the right. Place a small knot or a clip at the bottom. Twist the 2 colors together by putting the right over the left. Remove the clips or knots and make one knot at the bottom. Trim the ends, if necessary.

Here is the printable pdf of the patternprintable pdf of the pattern.

You can see more details for this and my other knitting and crocheting projects on my Ravelry project page.

Knit Cars-Themed Sundress Pattern

My 3 year old niece loves Lightning McQueen and the Cars movies. Unfortunately, most of the clothes that are sold with Lightning McQueen is geared toward boys. I decided to make her a Cars dress for Christmas.

I found Lion Brand's Knit Sundress Pattern. I used this as the starting point of the dress and then modified it to make it into a Cars dress. I made the dress using Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Stone and I used Lion Brand Cotton-Ease in Cherry for the trim.

I found this Lightning McQueen Chart and this Tow Mater Chart. I duplicate stitched the chart onto the pockets. I did have to increase the width of the pockets to fit the charts on the pockets, but I think it turned out really cute. She also informed me that the pockets are the perfect size for holding her cars and even some room to carry treats!

You can check out more details for this pattern and see some of my other knitting and crocheting projects on my Ravelry project page.

Free Knitting Pattern Dog Chew-No-More Leg Cover

My dog, Gibson, has been fighting bladder cancer for the past few years. Although there is no cure for canine bladder cancer, he has beat the odds and has lived much longer than expected. He has good days and bad days, but is still very happy.

Gibson has tried several different treatments. For awhile, he was getting IV chemotherapy. Just like in humans, there are risks that come with chemotherapy. He had a reaction to an injection that he received in his upper front leg. He kept chewing and licking the spot, which made the irritation worse. 

I looked around at the store for something to cover it, but could not find anything that would stay on his leg and he would leave alone.

I created this to cover the wound and prevent him from further irritating the sore. He was still able to pull it down with his teeth, so I attached a piece of elastic to wrap around it and hold it up. It worked perfectly! Gibson left it alone long enough to heal.

Materials Needed:

• Worsted Weight Yarn - If this is going to be on a sore, natural fibers will be less irritating than synthetic fibers. 
• Set of four size 7 double-pointed knitting needles, or size needed to obtain gauge.

Optional Materials: 

• Roll of 1 inch wide elastic band.
• Needle and thread.
• Fasteners - I used the fasteners from an old set of sheet straps.

Instructions:

With size 7 dpns, cast on 20 stitches. 
Join in the round, and work in K1, P1 ribbing for 5 rounds. 
Evenly increase 4 stitches on the next round and continue in the K1, P1 ribbing until work from beginning measures about 1 ¾ inches.

Elbow Opening: Cast off 12 stitches loosely in ribbing. Rib to the end of the round. Cast on 12 stitches and rejoin in round. Work 5 rounds in K1, P1 ribbing. Knit all stitches in round until work from the elbow opening measures about 4 ¾ inches (or the length needed for your dog’s leg). Decrease 4 stitches evenly on the next round. Work 8 rounds in k1, P1 ribbing. Cast off in ribbing. Weave in ends.

Elastic band: Cut a piece of 1 inch wide elastic long enough to wrap around the dog. Make sure it is not too loose so the dog can pull the cover down, but you don’t want it too tight to make it uncomfortable. My dog is a fat lab, and the elastic I used was about 27 ½ inches. You can either sew it directly to the leg cover or attach some kind of fastener to be able to remove the strap.

Notes: I made this for a large lab’s leg. You may have to adjust the number of stitches and/or change the yarn or needle size to obtain a size that fits your dog.

You can download the pdf of this pattern here or from the Ravelry website. While you are on the Ravelry website, be sure to check out some of my other projects on my project page!